Spanish Practices

Frigiliana is often called Spain's most beautiful village — a maze of whitewashed streets, Moorish architecture and sun-drenched terraces above the Costa del Sol. But beneath its postcard perfection lies one of the bloodiest chapters in Andalusian history. In this episode of Spanish Practices, I uncover the brutal 1569 Battle of El Peñón, when Christian forces crushed a Morisco rebellion in a siege so savage the village was described as a "river of blood." I explore the forced conversions after the Reconquista, the repression of Spain's Moors, the expulsion of the Moriscos, and the extraordinary Moorish irrigation systems the victors depended upon to survive. This is the untold history of Frigiliana — where beauty, faith, conquest and survival collide in one of Spain's most haunting stories.